haha it has begun for memphis – http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AobwD5WV3jUaUA3eU9wBYpfqbwM6?slug=mc-iversongrizzlies110309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I’ll add to my comment above. I think I would be more comfortable playing Tayshaun some minutes at the 2 while Hamilton is injured and when BG is resting (so Stuckey and Bynum don’t have to be out there together).

I feel comfortable with Daye getting some time at the 3 in that scenario.

I wish our rooks would get some burn. New coaches have a tendency to keep the best players on the floor too long trying to get W’s. In the long run it wears down the starters (Prince, last season) and stunts development (Free Amir!). This year was labeled as a rebuilding year, so I don’t understand why our rotation is so limited. I’d love to see more of Daye, Jerebko and Wilcox.

Last year, I was continually boggled by playing Tay at the 4 (smallball for the loss).

This year, I am boggled by playing Stuck and MFWB together. Their games compete rather than complement each other. Neither of them can shoot, and both need the ball.

When they’re both in the game, the defense can just sit back and wait for dribble penetration … it’s far too easy to defend when you know what’s coming each and every time.

And not to be a downer, but I don’t see how we have a snowball’s chance against Orlando right now, even if they don’t have VC. They are playing so well right now.

Great quote from Ben Wallace on Rip’s offensive impact:

“I don’t think a lot of guys realize that he gets shots for everybody," he said. "He gets assists for everybody without making passes. He gets assists with his legs. He’s coming off of picks and running and moving and getting everybody on the floor. With him out, it definitely changes the offense."

Br give Stuck a bit of credit where credit is due. He said he worked a lot on his jumpshot and I think it showed. It’s a lot more fluid now and has a bit more arc on it. Just look at when he went 12-13 at the line, that’s got to show some improvement. He probably won’t ever be as good as Gordon or even Chauncey, but I can see him reaching Tony Parker’s shooting ability.

I think his ball handling skills could still a lot of work, look at when he dribbles up the court. It almost looks like he’s thinking about it, notice the off hand looks awkward.

@br, I would add to Ben Wallace’s quote that people don’t realize the effect HE has on the offense. Everything seems to run smoother with Ben out there setting picks and crashing the boards.

As for playing the rookies more, I don’t mind giving Ben and Tay more minutes at the start of the season to establish the way the Pistons need to play on both ends.

I think the rookies will get in there in a week or two once they get settled. But, I like the idea of the older Pistons setting the agenda first.

How about spotting up Daye at shooting guard for a few minutes at the end of each quarter (except 4th) and using a zone defense? One on one he would get shredded, but with a decent zone they can survive most drives. He can use his height to block shots without concern of being pushed around by stronger players. This way you can get the guards a bit more rest and also you have another shooter on the floor for Will Bynum. That could help finish quarters better.

If Kwame can return to his pre-season intensity, this could actually be fairly effective. Especially if Daye can snag a few boards; with the pistons going big, he shouldn’t have any problems with being overpowered in the post.

I don’t get why Wilcox isn’t playing. He’s not “one of the young guys.” He knows how to play, he has size and athleticism (two things at a premium on this squad), he can finish at the rim, rebounds pretty well, high-energy, runs the floor— why are we treating him like Dale Davis? You can’t tell me he’s worse on offense than Ben/Kwame/Max. He should be playing at least 15-20 min a night.

And regarding Rip, his importance to this team— and why it’s Tay, not Rip that should be traded if we make a trade— should now be abundantly clear. Between the post-“AI injury” explosion (where we beat Orlando twice, Denver, ATL, with Rip averaging like 25/10ast/7rbds) to our absolute offensive stagnation we’re currently mired in without him, it’s clear who the MVP of this team the last few years is. As has been said a million times, his game is going to age exceptionally well and there’s really nobody else remotely like him in the league. Tay can be replaced. Rip can’t. Plus I think Tay is, for obvious reasons, a much more attractive piece and will get us far better returns.

Tay for Outlaw/Pryz works in the Trade machine. Maybe throw in a pick or two.

I’m definately down for that trade, Joel. Portland has shown interest in Tay, but they would probably need a big man back. Unfortunately, they probably wouldn’t take Max. Wilcox can’t be traded until Dec., and I don’t think we would want to give up Wallace or Kwame (though I could be convinced to give up Kwame).

The trade would be sweet for us, though. Przy only has one more year, and I think Outlaw is expiring.

I agree Tay will likely be traded before Rip. Rip will be much harder to trade, even though he is a much better player. I think time will show the three guard rotation w/ Stuck/Gordon/Rip and Bynum/Gordon/Rip will be darn successful and will probably be used nearly half the game anyway. Hopefully, by next season Daye can man SF for the other half of games.

I know many people think it is crazy to have so much money wrapped up in one position, but think about what we get from that position: forty points, probably 8 assists and rebounds, and at least average defense. Not bad, especially when early returns suggest they can be very effective playing together.
    
On a related note, Gordon has been better at the defensive end than advertised. CV has been at least as bad as advertised.

@Waulie

Cosign on the SG “glut.” If you think about it, for the same money that Kobe gets paid, we get 12 more points, a couple more rebounds and assists, better 3pt shooting, passable defense, and a full 48 minutes of playing time. We should start referring to our shooting guard chimera as Rip Gordon or Benny Hamilton. That’s how I look at it at least.

And regarding that trade, I wouldn’t even let either of those guys expire. Outlaw is a starter-caliber SF or a 6MotY candidate off the bench (and plays fantastic defense to boot) and Pryz is EXACTLY what we’ve been looking for in a starting center for the past 4 years. In my opinion, we make that trade, and that’s a team that we let gel on its own, maybe adding a mid-level type big this offseason in FA.

Yeah, I didn’t mean to imply we should let those guys automatically expire if that trade went through. It would just be nice to be able to do something without having to take on long-term contracts in case things don’t work out.

If we keep Rip, we have plently of long-term contracts as it is.

Also, I vote Benny Hamilton. It has a nice ring.

Is the Benny Hamilton chimera anything like this chimera?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UqM_PHSv8w

@br, I would add to Ben Wallace’s quote that people don’t realize the effect HE has on the offense. Everything seems to run smoother with Ben out there setting picks and crashing the boards.

Absolutely agree. He has such a high basketball IQ (something I wish Max had more of). And he creates (technically extends, I think) extra possession after possession on the offensive glass — even when he’s not directly credited for an offensive board.

Why did Big Ben ever leave? I mean, clearly from his latest stint so far you can tell there’s something about being in Detroit that brings out his best. He basically gave up a chance at being a HOFer for an extra $2mil a year for a couple years. Def not chump change, but worth derailing a potential Hall of Fame type legacy? I guarantee he would’ve won at least one more DPotY award, which would have given him 5— most all time. That coupled with a championship as the centerpiece and what would’ve been a straight decade of defensive dominance at the center position… I can’t help but think all the “could have been’s” and it makes me really sad. He’ll go down as a great player instead of an all-time great player. If his jersey isn’t retired here I’ll light myself on fire.

Not really. But still.

Ben always intended on leaving. He and Flip didn’t see eye-to-eye much and even had the public spat with each other. Dumars saved face by making a contract offer he knew he wouldn’t take (Chicago and Ben were talking long before Dumars made his offer). That’s why Ben was insulted by the other. He knew Chicago was going to offer him $60 million, and he thought Dumars would at least match the offer. Instead, Dumars makes his offer $12 million less, knowing that Ben would reject it. It’s sad, but considering the fact that we won 53 and 59 games the two seasons after, we weren’t THAT much worse off (I don’t honestly think we were championship material even with Ben post 2006).

The team is probably better off, as Ben’s salary would have seriously crippled the team. For what he’s paid, he’s a steal. But if we were paying him $12-14 million a year, we’d be in pretty bad shape. At the end of the day, I think Dumars made the right call. Ben’s production didn’t meet that of a 8-figure salary, and as sad as it was to see him go, it saved us from being in financial hell.

Can anybody explain why NBA League Pass doesn’t just let you pay monthly like Netflix? I’d be 100% down if I could pay like $17/mo instead of shelling out $130 up front. Just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s like they’re alienating everybody who lives on a budget and can’t afford to throw a large chunk of money up front for the service. Especially with as spotty/choppy service as it seems to have (at least this week during the free trial). I don’t think I got 20 minutes straight without an audio or visual freeze in any of the games I watched. Plus, all national TV games are blacked out? What about those of us who live in the dark ages sans cable?

Joel I absolutely agree with you. They have 10% off promo going on until tonight and if you pick the 7-team plan I believe its $90 bucks.. Still.. tons of money upfront.

I’m still debating myself – the no-national TV games and no-local games are bothering me a bit, and the spotty reception so far doesn’t help either.

According to pistons live, Prince is officially out for this game. He has a lower back strain. So this means the score won’t even be close, probably 120-80.

On the brightside, we’ll finally get to see what Daye and Summers can do. It’ll be interesting to see who plays more. I think Summers might because of how big Orlando is as a whole, but we desperately need Daye’s shooting.

Joel — I think, but I’m not positive, that it charges you in four installments. You still have to commit for the whole year, though (as opposed to Netflix, which is pay as you go, quit when you want …). The more I think about it, this might just apply to the cable version, not the broadband version (although if you get the cable version, you also get the broadband version …)

For anyone with an iPhone, you can get the NBA Mobile Leauge Pass app for 40 bucks. Good quality even with 3G.